Belmullet qualify for quarters
Belmullet's Fionnan Ryan wins possession against Aghamore. Pictures: Conor McKeown
It won’t be as under the radar as 2021, but Belmullet are building something this year.
After an opening round win over Castlebar that was seen as a surprise to most, they followed it up with a win over Aghamore that guarantees their passage into the quarter-finals.
Though the final margin was three points – and never much more than that – there was a control about Belmullet that was striking. They are hard to break down at the back, strong around the middle and have a quality forward-line.
Ryan O’Donoghue is – as surely no one can dispute by now – the real deal. He was exceptional on Sunday in terms of unglamorous toil and leadership, and when he was able to show moments of class, he did not disappoint.
He had a fine supporting cast too. Fionnan Ryan was an impressive target man, young Fionn O’Donoghue has huge promise while wing-forwards James Lavelle and Owen McHale are quality footballers.
And yet Aghamore can legitimately argue that had they the services of Liam Lavin, who took ill over the weekend, the outcome may have been different.
Lavin scored 1-5 in their opening round draw with Breaffy and would definitely have given them more cut.
But Belmullet can also argue they left a few goals and plenty of points behind them.
They were the better team in the first half but struggled for long stages to reflect it on the scoreboard.
A Fionnan Ryan flick hit the crossbar after five minutes while Fionn O’Donoghue saw his goalbound shot superbly saved by the retreating Aghamore defender Conal Breslin.
Fergal Boland was struggling to break free from the shackles of Evan Ivers at the other end but a tasty score from Cillian Mooney had Aghamore only one point behind, 0-4 to 0-3, after 26 minutes.
However, from the very next attack, Belmullet got the game’s defining score.
Owen McHale played a long ball into Ryan O’Donoghue who offloaded to impressive midfielder Séamus Howard, who found the net.
It helped them to a 1-5 to 0-4 lead at the break and try as they might – and did - Aghamore could never pull it back sufficiently in the second half.
An exceptional Ryan O’Donoghue two-pointer on 50 minutes in front of his own dugout push Belmullet five clear but a two-pointer free from Aghamore goalkeeper Adam Byrne and a Conor Byrne free had the gap back at two down the stretch.
They nearly conjured an injury-time goal but Brendan Harrison’s pass to the back-post was ever so slightly overhit and that was that.
Next up for Belmullet is a clash with Breaffy. A win or a draw for will see them top the group and have a home quarter-final but they are in the last eight now, come what may.
“It’s where we wanted to be at the start of the year,” said goalkeeper Shane Nallen afterwards. “It’s massive to be in a quarter final and we’re playing now for a home quarter final, which is an even bigger incentive for us.” Nallen was part of the group that reached the county final in 2021 and was upfront when asked about getting back to that stage.
“If you’re not aiming to be in a county final, you’re at nothing. We probably surprised a lot of people in 2021. I think that surprise factor is gone but we will probably be underdogs going in against Breaffy.
“A final is definitely achievable for us. A home quarter-final is the next incentive now for us. You seen the crowd that was here today. I think it will be three or four times that if we can get a home quarter-final. No one will fancy coming to Tallagh … We’re a long way from everywhere else. No one fancies coming down here and when they see that big crowd, it gives us that extra push. The crowd is massive for us,” said Nallen.
